0 Mini Fig Cakes

No summer is complete unless I make my summer fruit torte at least once. This year my summer torte came a bit late. So I guess it's really more of an autumn fruit torte. But it just goes to show the versatility of this recipe. Black Mission figs were looking good at the farmers' market so we bought more than we could eat. I had a handful of figs that were a bit wrinkly and were just past their prime for eating fresh but still perfectly good.

I decided to play around with the torte recipe and I ended up with these miniature fig cakes. They are not quite muffins and not quite cupcakes either, but they were quite good. I was hoping that the fig would be more visible in the end product, but they ended up sinking to the middle of the little cakes. Oh well. The nuttiness of the ground hazelnuts made for a nice complement to the sweet figs.



Miniature Fig Cakes
(makes 12)

4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp.
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup ground hazelnuts
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
6 figs, halved
1 tbsp granulated sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven 350 F. Line 12 (4-ounce capacity) wells of a standard muffin pan with paper liners or butter and flour each of the wells.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder and salt to combine. Set aside.

Cream the butter and both sugars until light. Mix in vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add dry ingredients and mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Batter will be a bit stiff.

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared wells. Place 1 halved fig atop the batter in each well. Sprinkle with sugar if using.

Bake mini cakes until golden brown or until a tester comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.

Note: I actually used 9 figs total. I placed 1 halved fig and 1 quartered fig in each cake.

BBQ salmon with steamed bok choy...personally, i think salmon is best when removed from the fire just before you think it's done...it's so moist that it melts in your mouth...and if you have left-over you can still warm it without having over cooked seconds...

0 Giving A Little Support

Operation Baking GALS (Give A Little Support) was started by fellow Daring Baker Susan of She's Becoming Doughmesstic back in July. She wanted to send some homemade baked goods to her cousin stationed in Iraq and asked for some volunteers to help her out. Little did she know the positive response she would receive from friends, family and fellow bloggers. So she decided to make this monthly event. Teams of 25 make care packages filled with baked goodies for a specific soldier and the soldier shares the goodies with his/her fellow troops. The kicker is that we all mail our packages at the same time so that they are bombarded with them all at once. You can read all about the operation on the website.

For this third round of Operation Baking GALS I'm proud to be part of the team hosted by Fran of Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie. Fran and the rest of the team are baking for Richard Martin of the 10th Mountain Division - Army Light Infantry. He mentioned to Fran that he will be sharing the care packages with a lot of soldiers so I wanted to fill my box with as much as I could.

I've never sent anything to the Middle East before so I did some internet research to find out more about how best to do it. Even when using USPS priority mail, it could take up to 14 days for the package to arrive so I was a bit concerned about freshness. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I read that using vegetable shortening is better than using butter since the baked goods can stay fresh a bit longer with shortening. I'm not in the habit of buying shortening and was actually surprised by the cost. I usually pay around $2/pound for unsalted butter. The Crisco shortening cost me $3/pound. Why would a manufactured food like shortening cost more than a real food like butter? But I digress.

There are some restrictions when sending packages to the Middle East. No pork products and no alcohol seem to be the most important things to know. So soaking cakes in booze to keep them fresh was out of the question. I even read somewhere that vanilla extract should be omitted from recipes because of the alcohol content.

Other ladies mentioned that sending anything that can melt (like gummy candies or chocolate) is not advisable. But then I read on the Nestle website that chocolate chip morsels are okay if they are baked into a cookie or brownie. Of course I don’t know if I can believe Nestle since they are the maker of chocolate chips and they want us to buy and use as many chocolate chips as possible.

I decide to throw caution to the wind and make some cookies bars with chocolate chips. I figured if I wrapped them really well then the chocolate chips would be okay. My cookie bar recipe is based on this one from the Nestle website, but I made some modifications.

I wanted to fit as much as possible into the flat rate shipping box, so I measured the disposable plastic container that I planned to place the wrapped cookie bars. I made a 4x6 inch template out of foil and I cut the cookie bars to size. I was able to fit almost the whole pan's worth of cookie bars into my one plastic container.



I also baked some snickerdoodles for the troops. I normally use an all butter recipe, but for the reason I mentioned above, I used an all shortening recipe this time. The snickerdoodles made with shortening tasted a bit more "old-fashioned" than the ones with all butter, but they were still really delicious (especially hot from the oven!). I just love that smell of warm cinnamon sugar. Yum.

I was pretty amazed at how much I managed to fit in the flat rate 12x12x5 priority mail shipping box. I didn't have to use much padding or bubble wrap since all the food was packed well and jammed into the box tightly. The clerk at the post office was impressed that I could fit 11 pounds of goodies in the box. The contents: 3 dozen snickerdoodles, oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars (five 4x6-inch pieces), 1 pound beef jerky, 2.5 pounds trail mix, instant oatmeal packets, tea bags and Jelly Belly jelly beans. I hope Richard and his fellow soldiers enjoy this small token of gratitude for their bravery and service.

If you want to participate in the next round, please visit Operation Baking Gals for all the details.



Snickerdoodles
(makes about 4 dozen)

Cookie dough:
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (I omitted this since I was sending to the Middle East)

Coating
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease cookie sheet pans or line with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cream of tartar in small mixer bowl to combine. Set aside.

Beat shortening and sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix until combined.

To make the coating, mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.

Roll cookie dough into 3/4 inch balls. Roll the balls into the sugar-cinnamon coating and place them 2 inches apart on your prepared cookie sheet pans. Using the bottom of a glass, flatten each ball to about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes, or until they're just golden brown around the edges. Cool on a wire rack.

~*~


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Dried Cherries
(adapted from here)
(makes one 15x10-inch tray)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 tsp vanilla extract (I omitted this since I was sending to the Middle East)
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chip morsels
2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal, uncooked
1 cup chopped dried cherries

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter and flour a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan (or line pan with parchment paper).

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small mixer bowl to combine. Set aside.

Beat shortening, sugar, and corn syrup in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, water and vanilla.

Add flour mixture and beat until flour is barely incorporated. Mix in chocolate, oatmeal and dried cherries.

Spread batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack before cutting into bars.

bbq bacon wrapped scallops... jumbo sea scallops nestled on a broccoli timbale with baby carrots...













i mean REALLY !!!!!!

white corn, fresh from the CDM farmer's market this morning...this was a fab combo !

FIBER-FULL BREAKFAST

homemade yogurt, TJ's fiber apple cranberry muffin, fresh fruit sprinkled with Psyillium husk makes for a filling fiber treat...

0 Daring Bakers Go Vegan

This month's Daring Baker challenge is a milestone. Natalie from Gluten A Go Go and Shel from Musings From the Fishbowl chose lavash crackers for this month's Daring Bakers' challenge and for the first time in DB history, we are going vegan for the challenge. They even included a recipe for gluten-free lavash if we wanted it to be both vegan and gluten-free. They also asked us to make a dip or spread to accompany our crackers as long as the dip or spread is vegan too. They gave us a lot of freedom to personalize the challenge.

I wasn't feeling too creative (my fault, not the challenge's fault) and I decided to go basic. Sesame seeds and sea salt to sprinkle on my lavash with a hummus for my dip. The lavash was really easy to make. I guess the hardest part was trying to roll it thin enough. I only had a rolling pin to help me. A pasta roller would've helped but I lost mine while moving a few years ago and I haven't bought a replacement yet.




After rolling out the dough, I trimmed the edges a little to make it fit my baking sheet pan. I used the edge scraps to make some short and skinny "breadsticks".



My nosy curious cat had to come by and take a sniff while I was taking pictures.



Overall I really like this recipe. It's a definite keeper. I plan to use it again for making breadsticks or even a thin crust pizza. Thanks Shel and Natalie! And please go to the Daring Bakers blogroll for links to other posts.



Lavash Crackers
(recipe from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart)
(makes 1 sheet pan of crackers)

* 1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) unbleached bread flour
* 1/2 tsp (.13 oz) salt
* 1/2 tsp (.055 oz) instant yeast
* 1 Tb (.75 oz) agave syrup or sugar
* 1 Tb (.5 oz) vegetable oil
* 1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature
* Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

2. Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

4. Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

7. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.



Hummus
(makes about 3 cups)

4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
2/3 cup well stirred tahini
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted lightly (optional)

On a cutting board mince and mash the garlic to a paste with the salt. In a food processor purée the chickpeas with the garlic paste, the tahini, the lemon juice, the oil, and the water, scraping down the sides, until the hummus is smooth and add salt to taste. Add more water, if necessary, to thin the hummus to the desired consistency. Transfer the hummus to a bowl. The hummus may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Sprinkle hummus with the pine nuts if desired.

chocolate chunk with pecan...

re-mixed with a touch more flour, more choc and more peacans